Thujone containing plants

Although it has a fragrance that is similar to Absinthium, it never flowers. This is probably why it is unsuitable for absinthe making.

Is there a particular reason for the "flowering" note. If PC did flower, why would that make it suitable? Intensification/concentration of the flavour? I thought young leaves/tips would be all that was necessary.

I've got A. absinthium and PC growing in my garden this year and must say the PC is more fragrant. Seems like it ought to work great.

On a side note, should I expect either or both to come back next year? That is, will they survive the relatively mild Atlanta winter? I don't expect to have difficulty obtaining new plants next year, but if they perform better in subsequent years, I won't dig them up before re-planting the beds next Spring. What about the extras I have in large pots? Protect them in the garage or leave 'em out in the yard?

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Is there a particular reason for the "flowering" note. If PC did flower, why would that make it suitable? Intensification/concentration of the flavour?

The flowers are the most fragrant part of the plant Aa. They do lend a certain flavour and aroma. Since we are talking about making Absinthe, most purists believe That if it is not made w/ Artemisia absinthium, it cannot be called Absinthe.

On a side note, should I expect either or both to come back next year?

Yes, they are both perennials and should do fine through the winter.

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Powis Castle is listed as a possible (probable) hybrid between A absinthium and A arborescens. It is used as an ornamental because it is easier to control than other artemisias. Although it has a fragrance that is similar to Absinthium, it never flowers. This is probably why it is unsuitable for absinthe making.

I've read articles that claim both that it is a hybrid as you mention above, and ones that strongly contend that it isn't. Funny... you'd think the botany geeks would have figured it out by now.

Any idea what the alpha-Thujone content of this plant is?

My mother is growing a ton of this stuff, and strangely, she told me that she *did* see it flower. But only once in the 5 years she's had it.

Thujone was extracted and analyzed from four plant species using soxhlet extraction and GCMS. It was found that out of the four plants, dried western cedar tips had the most thujone than the others by more than a a factor of 20. Cedar had 5320 mg thujone/kg dried weight , wormwood had 239 mg/kg and thyme had 71 mg/kg.